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An indentured servant is person who voluntarily enters into a contract to work for a set amount of time, usually four to seven years. At the end of their indenture, they become free and can integrate into white society. Polly becomes an indentured servant to pay off debts; others, like her father, chose indentured servitude in the colonies to escape jail in England. A person’s indenture could be sold or traded without that person’s consent.
Indentured Servant Quotes in Copper Sun
The Copper Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Indentured Servant or refer to Indentured Servant. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 14
Quotes
Polly wondered if Negroes from Africa had feelings and intelligent thoughts or if that gibberish they spoke was more like the scream of monkeys or the barking of dogs.
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Chapter 16
Quotes
“I am Polly, and I work for Mr. Derby just like you.” She hesitated, then added, “Well, not exactly just like you. You’re a slave, which means you belong to him.”
“Slave,” the girl said clearly. Her eyes narrowed and her lips drew back fiercely over her teeth as she said the word. She knows exactly what that word means, Polly thought.
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“Well, pick my peas! A white woman as a maid and a beggar! Must not be no slaves from where she come from,” Teenie commented.
“Not all white people are rich landowners,” Polly said, almost coldly. “Most white folks I know scuffle for every scrap of food they get.”
“But they ain’t slaves,” Teenie reminded her quietly.
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Chapter 22
Quotes
“Do you think Mrs. Derby knows what Clay is doing?”
“She know,” Amari said angrily.
“Maybe she can help you,” Polly offered tentatively. “She seems to be very pleasant.”
“She need help herself,” Amari replied sharply.
Polly tried to understand, but she couldn’t truly fathom the depths of Myna’s apparent distress. Slave women were always called to the bedrooms of their masters—it was simply a fact of life. Myna should understand that by now and be getting used to it.
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Indentured Servant Term Timeline in Copper Sun
The timeline below shows where the term Indentured Servant appears in Copper Sun. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 14. The Slave Sale
...like her to find work, since they work for free. Polly unrolls her certificate of indenture; proud that she’s able to read, she reads it once more. The certificate says that...
(full context)
Chapter 15. Polly and Clay
...be treated delicately. Clay hates his new stepmother. He asks why his father purchased Polly’s indenture, but Mr. Derby is just thrilled that Polly’s indenture is so long. Clay laughs, calls...
(full context)
Chapter 16. Teenie and Tidbit
...in England but eventually ran out of money. He came to the colonies as an indentured servant to get out of jail. He entered the service of Jeremy Carton, married Polly’s...
(full context)
Sounding emotional, Teenie suggests that Polly has hope; she can pay back her indenture and eventually, fit in. Polly says that she has to pay back 14 years and...
(full context)
Chapter 28. Punishment
Mr. Derby says that he’ll sell Polly’s indenture to a New Orleans whorehouse. He tells Amari that he’ll find another “toy” for Clay—and...
(full context)
Chapter 29. Locked in the Smokehouse
...chance. Polly insists she’d never abandon Amari and Tidbit and asks if people go after indentured servants too. Teenie tells the story of an indentured boy that Mr. Derby owned. After...
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...in Spanish Florida. There are streets of gold there, and the Spanish set slaves and indentured people free. He says that there will be danger, but they should follow the river...
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Chapter 36. Should We Trust Him?
...asks Nathan if he works for Clay, but Nathan says he’s certain Polly is an indentured servant and the others are runaway slaves. He stares at Polly and says he’s sure...
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Chapter 37. Lost and Found and Lost
...recovers, she confirms that Amari and Tidbit are slaves and learns that Polly is an indentured servant. She says that the punishment for runaway indentured servants is the pothook—an iron collar...
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Chapter 41. Fort Mose
...Timothy and said it’d be his name when he’s a man. Polly says she was indentured and ran off with Amari and Tidbit.
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Polly says she has 14 years left on her indenture, which causes Captain Menendez to insist that Mr. Derby must be crazy. Polly shares that...
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